The United States and China have reached a breakthrough agreement on TikTok’s future, paving the way for the video-sharing app to transfer into US-controlled ownership after years of political wrangling.
US trade representative Jamieson Greer confirmed on Monday that negotiators had struck a framework deal with Beijing following high-level talks in Madrid. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the commercial terms had been finalised between “two private parties”, but declined to disclose details, adding only that the Chinese delegation had made “aggressive asks” during the negotiations.
China’s top trade envoy, Li Chenggang, later confirmed that consensus had been reached on the basic framework. While calling the talks “hard won”, he cautioned Washington against continuing what he described as the “suppression” of Chinese companies, warning that cooperation could not be one-sided.
The agreement marks a major turning point in a long-running dispute that has threatened to see TikTok banned outright in the US. The app’s parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, was ordered in 2024 to divest its US arm under legislation signed by then-president Joe Biden. His successor, Donald Trump, has repeatedly extended the deadline but kept up pressure on both sides to strike a deal.
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